1969 section remembering Vietnam War dead

Recently, we were asked to locate a special section published by the Express-News on August 3, 1969. It was said to contain a large collection of photos of local servicemembers killed in the Vietnam War.

Someone attending a program affiliated with the Faces With Names project, which is a local version of a national effort to collect photos and stories to connect with the names listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, had brought the section to the workers’ attention and they wanted their own copy.

When I found the section on the microfilm, I couldn’t believe how thorough it was. The section itself seems ambitious for us in 1969. According to the note on page 1, they scoured three years of microfilm, sent hundreds of letters and made hundreds of phone calls. Three staffers spent a month gathering the information, but as many as five worked on it at one time.

Their searches turned up many more war dead connected to the area than had been thought. Our reporters still find that to be the case today. Listed hometowns aren’t really where the soldiers live or are from. Or perhaps they went to high school here and then moved away, but are still remembered by friends or extended family.

In time for Memorial Day, we decided to post images of the section on our website. I took them from microfilm, and reproduction quality is mixed. However, the light patches and dark blobs don’t hide the quantity of photos (and the list of names of those whose photos could not be located) — 295 soldiers, sailors and marines in all. And this was only as of 1969.

The introductory story is a bit flowery, but reminds us of the sacrifice made by these and all casualties of war. It ends: “These are the Texans who marched off to war and who will return only to the eye of memory. Mark them well. Look closely into the faces of these fine young men. These are the honored dead of San Antonio.”